The Impact of Green Spaces on the General Well-being and Stress of Students

Hasselt University

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Neurocognition; Psychological; Cardiovascular; Stress

Treatments: Other: Nature based solution for stress reduction

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05249296

Nature_Stress

Details and patient eligibility

About

The number of students with psychological problems is on the rise, due to a combination of increasing performance pressure, high expectations, difficulties handling stress, social pressure, and studying. Spending time in a green space has been shown to have positive effects on the mental and general health. This project aims to alleviate the symptoms of mental fatigue and stress related disorders such as burn out in students by offering a nature-based activity.

Participants are asked to take a thirty-minute walk in a nature-based area for five consecutive days, followed by a control period (regular schedule of the participant) for five days, or vice versa. The investigators test stress-related parameters including concentration tests, cognitive tests, cortisol levels, and cardiovascular measurements.

Full description

This project aims study the effectiveness of nature-based solutions on the prevention of stress-related symptoms due to high study pressure in students. A nature-based physical activity is recommended once a day to prevent stress build-up and positively influence the cardiovascular system. Participants are randomized into two groups: the first group of participants are asked to walk a nature-based route near the University campus for thirty minutes per day for two weeks (phase 1). After each activity-based phase, a washout period of one week is implemented to avoid carry-over of results (phase 2 and 4). In the third phase, the participants are asked to resume their daily activities for two weeks (control). The second group undergo the same phases but reversed: participants start with two weeks of their usual daily activities, followed by two weeks of nature-based activity. After each phase, the investigators measure neurocognition through neurocognitive tests, the emotional status through detailed questionnaires and assess stress levels through cardiovascular measurements, including salivary cortisol levels of saliva collected upon awakening, 30 min after waking and at 8 pm.

Enrollment: 50 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Student of Hasselt university or university college PXL and dutch speaking

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

Group 1: intervention/control group

Experimental group

Description:

Phase 1: Two weeks of green space intervention Phase 2: One week wash out period Resume daily activities Phase 3: Two weeks of 'daily activities' Regular, daily activities are resumed by the participants Phase 4: One week wash out period Resume daily activities Between each phase, detailed questionnaires, neurocognitive tests and cardiovascular measurements are taken from the participants.

Treatment:

Other: Nature based solution for stress reduction

Group 2: control/intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Phase 1: Two weeks of 'daily activities' Regular, daily activities are resumed by the participants Phase 2: One week wash out period Resume daily activities Phase 3: Two weeks of green space intervention Phase 4: One week wash out period Resume daily activities Between each phase, detailed questionnaires, neurocognitive tests and cardiovascular measurements are taken from the participants.

Treatment:

Other: Nature based solution for stress reduction